


One Son

by scullywolf



Series: TXF: Scenes in Between [130]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Gen, Light Angst, Missing Scene, The Lone Gunmen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-06-06 18:09:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6764566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scullywolf/pseuds/scullywolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scully trusts Fowley about as far as she could throw her. Unfortunately, Mulder seems blind to the possibility that Diana is shady as hell. It's going to take actual proof to convince him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Son

_“What is she?”_  
_“I think she’s the one, Scully.”_

She stares at him for a long moment. _He really believes this, believes so completely that he probably would have pulled the trigger if he and Cassandra had been alone._ Finally she blinks, shaking her head. “Mulder, she is a woman who has had unspeakable things done to her. Isn’t that enough, without her being some… some lynchpin of an alien conspiracy, too?”

“Look, I don’t know what to tell you. I can’t change what she is. But if we fail to accept it, fail to fully account for the reality of her situation, then we will only be unprepared when everything goes to hell.”

There is no reasoning with him. They could argue about it until they’re both blue in the face, and it won’t change anything. She’s not going to be able to convince him of anything without proof, and there’s no chance Fowley will let them get close enough to Cassandra to run any sort of analysis.

Fowley. Scully’s stomach is still a cold, hard ball of fury over the way they were treated by that woman. It’s even more infuriating that Mulder doesn’t see right through her.

She slams the locker shut in frustration. “I’m going to request some proper clothing and get the hell out of here.”

“I think we need to try to work with Diana on this. She’s only looking out for Cassandra’s best interest, even if she hasn’t gone about it in the best way.”

 _Unbelievable._ “Mulder, Agent Fowley doesn’t care about Cassandra. All she’s done with this little stunt is deliver her into the hands of the very people who want to hurt her. I mean, why can’t you see that?”

He shakes his head. “I think you’re wrong. You’re letting your prejudices cloud your judgment, and it’s blinding you to what’s really going on here.”

She shoulders past him, scowling. “Oh, no, I can see quite clearly what’s really going on here.”

***

Ten minutes later, she’s recovered their wallets, keys and phones, and secured clothes for them both. They’re ill-fitting -- miles too big for her and comically small for him -- but they’re clean. Mulder still insists on staying, so with a last shake of her head, she turns on her heel and walks to the car with the agent tasked with driving her back home. She directs the agent to Mulder’s place instead, since her own car is, of course, still parked there from last night. Beyond that cursory exchange, it’s an uncomfortably quiet ride, during which she stews and tries to figure out what to do next. 

She needs evidence, solid proof in black and white that Fowley is not to be trusted. Of course, that sort of proof will probably only be found in FBI records, and she and Mulder are still suspended. She can hardly waltz back into the Hoover building without her badge, demanding access to personnel and case files. No, the only possible answer quickly becomes obvious -- she’ll have to go back to see the Gunmen again. She’s long past the point of being bothered by the manner in which they’ll be able to get the information she wants.

But first she needs to go home. She gives the other agent a silent nod of thanks as they pull up to Mulder’s building, then hurries to her car, desperate to change into clothing that actually fits. The borrowed outfit pooling around her only serves as a constant reminder of what she’s just been through -- and that her own clothes were needlessly destroyed -- and she seethes as she drives, though she’s not even sure if it’s Fowley or Mulder she’s more angry at. 

Back at her apartment, she quickly removes the clothing, balling it up and tossing it into a corner in disgust. As she stands naked in front of the closet, her mind flits back to the shower, to the way Mulder’s gaze skittered over her breasts and down her body before returning to meet her own. It’s not as though he hasn’t seen her before, but she wasn’t exactly coherent in Antarctica, and she was very much fully conscious and aware, this time. The memory makes her feel oddly vulnerable, uncomfortable in a way she doesn’t ordinarily associate with Mulder, and she reaches for a turtleneck.

***

“I must be dreaming,” Frohike drawls as she opens the door. “Two visits from the enigmatic Doctor Scully in 24 hours?” When she doesn’t offer more than a halfhearted smile, he raises his eyebrows, stepping back to let her in. “Hey, is everything okay? Where’s Mulder?”

“To the best of my knowledge, Mulder is still at Fort Marlene, where the two of us were taken and detained overnight by the CDC, on the order of Diana Fowley.”

“Whoa, what?”

Behind him, Byers and Langly get up from their desks. Frohike steps aside to let her walk fully into the room. She's soon surrounded by the three of them, all looking at her with expectant concern.

She sighs and quickly fills them in on what’s happened. She catches herself clenching her hand into a fist as she recounts the paper-thin excuses Fowley gave for their detention, and she struggles to keep her voice from shaking in anger as she tells them how Mulder bought it all. Frohike shakes his head.

“Woulda thought he was long past being wrapped around her little finger, after the way she treated him.”

A morbid curiosity briefly rears its head before Scully decides she would probably rather not know precisely what went on between the two of them.

“Well, I’m hoping you’ll be able to help me with that.”

Byers raises his eyebrows. “And you think he’ll listen to us? Agent Scully, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but--”

“I want to try and find out everything I can about her time overseas,” she interrupts. “What she did for the Bureau after she left Washington. The way things are now… I think if we connect the right dots, we can figure out where her loyalties really lie.”

Frohike lets out a low whistle. “Well _now_ you’re speaking my language. All right, let’s see what we can dig up.”


End file.
